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Associated Press Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg is making a splash on the airwaves this week, if not in the polls, as the newest Democratic presidential contender spends nearly $35 million in a record-breaking advertising buy.
Bloomberg, who made his bid official on Sunday, has spent the most money of any candidate ever on a single week of advertising, according to the firm Advertising Analytics.
The former New York mayor has spent $34.8 million, eclipsing the nearly $25 million Barack Obama spent during the last week of his 2012 campaign. The bulk of the money, $27.8 million, will go toward spots in 98 local broadcast markets, Advertising Analytics said, with the rest split between network broadcasts and network cable.
Bloomberg’s entry into the crowded field brings the total number of Democrats running up to 18.
Read: Here are the 18 Democrats running for president as billionaire Bloomberg jumps in.
While Bloomberg is a powerhouse in ad buys, he enters the race with low poll numbers. The latest average of polls from RealClearPolitcs has him at just 2.3% support, trailing far behind former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and others.
As the Associated Press reported, Bloomberg plans to bypass the first four states on the primary calendar and focus instead on the crush of states that vote on Super Tuesday and beyond.
He has separately poured $100 million into an online ad campaign attacking President Donald Trump.
